Cox’s Bazar, Sept 21 (V7N) – Ahead of the UN conference on the Rohingya crisis scheduled for September 30, community leaders, rights activists, and academics in Cox’s Bazar have urged the United Nations and international donors to invest in immediate solutions for safe drinking water, farmland restoration, and effective waste management. The appeal was made during a roundtable discussion and press conference organized by COAST Foundation at Arunoday School auditorium.
 
The event featured a documentary highlighting the severe environmental impact of nearly one million Rohingya refugees in Ukhiya and Teknaf. It revealed that 20 to 25 million liters of groundwater are extracted daily, causing water levels to drop 4 to 12 meters annually. In Teknaf, 65 percent of groundwater has become saline, with fresh water now scarce even at 1,000 feet depth.
 
The documentary also showed that refugee camps generate nearly 10,000 tons of solid waste per month, while Cox’s Bazar municipality produces 90 to 130 tons daily, half from tourism. Waste from the camps has rendered around 300 acres of farmland unusable, which could otherwise yield 30,000 tons of crops annually.
 
Speakers emphasized solutions including composting, recycling waste, producing fertilizer from human waste, harvesting rainwater, restoring abandoned ponds, limiting groundwater extraction, and desalinating Naf River or seawater for camps.
 
COAST Foundation Executive Director M. Rezaul Karim Chowdhury stressed transforming waste into energy and introducing scientific waste management to benefit the environment and local economy. Other participants highlighted the urgent need for alternative drinking water systems, permanent waste treatment facilities, and reclaiming agricultural land lost to refugee settlements.
 
The program was attended by local leaders, activists, and educators, including Mahbubur Rahman, Ajit Das, Saki A. Kawsar, Ruhul Kader Babul, Touhid Belal, Abu Musa Mohammad, Mozzafar Ahmed, and Abul Kashem. The event was conducted by Jahangir Alam, Assistant Director of COAST Foundation.
 
Speakers collectively called on the UN and international donors to take decisive action to protect Cox’s Bazar’s fragile environment and safeguard the livelihoods of both refugees and host communities.
 
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